436 ANNUAL, REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1910. 



the formation of national forests. Under this plan the Government 

 will both buy land to form eastern forests and will cooj^erate with 

 States to protect State and private holdings from fire. 



ImjDortant progress toward forest preservation has also been made 

 as a result of action by the States. Ten years ago the only States 

 which had given much attention to their forest problems were New 

 York and Pennsylvania. In New York the Adirondack and Catskill 

 Preserves had been created ancl contained a total of about 1,400,000 

 acres of forest land which the State had undertaken to hold and pro- 

 tect from fire; and a jDolicy of enlarging these holdings by further 

 jDurchases had been inaugurated. Fire protection of private holdings 

 under a firewarden system had also been begun in New York, the 

 State sharing equall}^ with the towns in the cost of putting out fires. 

 In Pennsylvania a vigorous public sentiment, developed under the 

 leadership of the Pennsylvania Forest Association, had resulted in 

 the creation of a State department of forestry with a commissioner 

 of forestry at its head; in the acquisition of land for State reserva- 

 tions with a total acreage which before the close of 1901 was nearing 

 half a million acres; in provision both for the management and for 

 the sale of timber from these State holdings ; and in a fire law which 

 made township constables firewardens. New York and Pennsylvania 

 had both provided for the punishment of persons causing fires. 

 Maine also had a forest-fire law, while Michigan, Minnesota, New 

 Hampshire, and Ohio had State forest commissioners, boards, or 

 bureaus. In Massachusetts the State board of agriculture acted also 

 as a board of forestry, while the New York work was under a forest, 

 fish, and game commission. 



At the present time the New York reserves contain, in round 

 numbers, 1,642,000 acres, and those of Pennsylvania 921,000 acres, 

 while Michigan has 232,000 acres, Wisconsin 385,000 acres, Min- 

 nesota 51,000 acres. New Jersey 14,000 acres, Maryland 2,000 acres, 

 Indiana 2,000 acres, Vermont 1,700 acres, and Connecticut 1,500 

 acres. Several other States also have made a beginning toward the 

 formation of reserves. 



A most notable advance has been made in State provision of fire 

 protection for private holdings. Generally the first attempts to 

 combat the fire evil took the form of laws providing for the detection 

 and punishment of persons who Avillfully or carelessly caused forest 

 fires ; and the second step was to provide for local wardens, either by 

 adding the duty of firewarden to that of some existing official or 

 by authorizing the appointment of men for this duty exclusively, 

 to be paid for time actually spent in fighting fires. These wardens 

 were usually empowered to employ other help, and often to require 

 the services of men needed to put fires out, 



